Dragonflies
by pisces97
Summary: Daydreams, confrontations, dragonflies, and naps. Possible continuation. Flaming Arrow.
1. Chapter 1

Dragonflies

 ****Feel free to review, thank you!****

There he was. Just sitting. Just sitting with his head in his hand and his elbow propped up on his knee as he sat back against some rock in the dirt. He was going to stain his jeans again and add to the smudges of unidentifiables in the fabric—not that he cared. Not right this second, anyway.

Odin was lost. Again again again, he was lost. Barely seen in the clouds of violet smoke swallowing him from sight, he stared off to some place that was neither here nor there. Nor anywhere. Caught in a dream.

Ava hated it when Odin got like this. Him with that blasted pipe of his. It had to be toxic—poisonous—destructive for that small brain inside his thick skull. It probably filled his head with a fog so dense it leaked out his ears. He probably had that lazy glazed-over look in his eyes too, allowing himself to get sunk in this mellow euphoria as his bones lost all rigidity and caused him to slump over like a punctured sack of flour. Which Ava now saw him do.

He slid down the rock until it served more as a pillow than a backrest, and tucked one arm behind his head for extra cushion. He let out another puff of purple smoke while his eyes drowsily drooped closed.

Ava had half a mind to stomp over to him and smack that pipe right out of his stupid mouth. He'd die if he kept up this bad habit! …Not that she cared if he did. _I mean, he did nearly abandon me…_ So, so what if he sucked and blew his life away? Odin seemed so peaceful though, upon a second glance. She might just leave him.

A bird twittered aloft in the branches of a tree nearby and caused Odin to reopen his eyes. The bird was gone, or perhaps hiding in the leaves, or watching the six or seven lustrous purple dragonflies ambling about his head. One, completely contented, landed on Odin's knee and crawled a bit before returning to the others in the violet haze.

The dragonflies were a gift courtesy of Pedri—the big purple skull monster that has shadowed him since as far back as he could remember. Maybe even before then. And as luck would have it, only Odin Arrow, the family screw up, could see him. Having Pedri around was mostly the shovel that dug Odin deeper into the 'Pit of Family Disappointment' –dubbed as such solely for his use. But having Pedri hovering over him all the time also had its moments. The little purple buggers were an escape, a bet, a chance at something better. Something closer to his heart. Something that made him feel anything other than himself. Just. Something. It didn't have a name yet, this something, but when he felt it—if he felt it, he would _know_ and these dragonflies were that promise.

Odin inhaled, filling his lungs, and nearly choked when it finally registered that Ava was towering over him. His eyes were wide with apprehension and he tensed, braced for whatever slights she decided to run him through with this time.

Ava's hands were on her hips in her wide stance and she had a disgruntled pout in her lip. "You're going to die," she said.

Odin spit his pipe into his open hand and gave it an introspective glance. "Y-yeah I s-suppose so, but here's to hoping," he tipped the spout of his pipe and popped it back into his mouth.

"No," Ava rolled her eyes, "I mean, smoking that thing isn't good for you."

Odin smirked, "Do you c-care for me or s-something?"

Ava felt a hot blush rise in her cheeks. "No, I just think it's dumb of you to do that!"

Odin's stare lost that prideful luster and snapped into shock. "O-oh y-yeah? Well I th-think it's dumb of you t-to c-carry around those pervert glasses b-but I don't say anything!"

Ava's eyes flicked up to the shimmery golden lenses perched on her head like a diadem. "Ugh, do whatever you want," Ava stormed away, slipping the lenses over her eyes, "And they're not dumb!"

Eesh. Hit a nerve with that one. Ava was orange and yellow and _hot—_ as in, _radiating_ with heat. Odin could've sworn he saw the grass beneath her footsteps burn and turn black.

Whatever.

When Ava cooled down, she returned to their makeshift camp only to find the knucklehead had fallen sleep in the same spot she'd left him in. Didn't even budge. Though, the profuse of purple vapor had subsided a great deal.

Ava walked towards him and suddenly stopped. She blinked her eyes and wiped the liquidy star stuff from them. She lifted her glasses from her face and back down again in utter astoundment. Purple bugs. No purple bugs. Purple bugs. No purple bugs. Purple bugs.

Ava could not believe her eyes. These things—they were _familiar._ She took another tentative step as one of the dragonflies zipped up and around her head, trailing wisps of smoke behind it. Ava reached out and the winged creature landed on her open palm. Its tiny feet tickled her skin and Ava laughed; so happy she almost forgot where she was. She couldn't explain the feeling, but she could ascribe a word to it (though she didn't understand that either): _Home._

The dragonfly probably sensed this too, as it crawled up her arm and flew corkscrews around her like it was the exuberance incarnate.

Ava found herself following the gleeful little bug as it flew back to Odin and danced around him as he slept. Ava quietly place herself beside him, sitting on her shins, following the dragonfly in its dance with her hand whilst another dragonfly buzzed by her shoulder. And another flitted back and forth around the crown of her head. And another flying too close to her face, pleasantly tickling her chin.

Odin snored softly, completely unaware of Ava's presence.

When at long last the dragonfly Ava had chased docked itself on her finger, Ava sat back against the rock and pondered this new warmth within her. It was wholesome and tranquil, unlike the volcanic rage that came equipped with Wrathia. Ava felt so comfortably at home that she soon found herself nodding off into a nap…

The afternoon drifted by and the breeze rustled through the trees, gently waking Odin. Groggily, the teenager sat up, rubbed his eyes, and searched for his pipe. Which he lit right away. It wasn't until he was seeing dragonflies that he considered getting up. He should probably go find some food. _Ava._ _Oh yeah, she yelled and stormed off. I should look—_

Odin jumped and skid back, his face going notably purple when he realized how close Ava had been sleeping to him. He relaxed when he saw she still slept; her mouth slightly agape, her hands her pillows, and her golden glasses crooked across her face due to the fact that Ava was lying on her side.

Odin picked up his pipe and drew a few puffs, his knitted brow dipping over his sour expression.

A moment or so later, after getting lost in thought, Odin turned to wake Ava. "Av-" He froze.

The small swarm of his dragonflies now encased the sleeping girl in a sort of glowing blanket. Every last one of his dragonflies chose Ava over flight. And Ava just kept on snoozing soundly.

Odin waved them off her, settling himself into a state of confusion. "Get off," he whispered.

The insects stirred, mildly inconvenienced, and went immediately back to covering Ava.

"What the—" Odin glanced at his pipe and shook his head. That's enough for today.

Odin stood, packing away his pipe, and walked off. A moment later, he returned to Ava with his jacket in his hand. Odin knelt down, watching the dragonflies disappear one by one, and all at once when he draped his jacket over Ava. She didn't seem cold but he wanted to make sure.

It was only when Odin had walked away that Ava's eyes opened and she pulled his jacket more snugly around her shoulders as a deep red filled her cheeks. Ava closed her eyes once more, smiling to herself.


	2. Pt 2

****Back by popular demand! Reviews are much appreciated, and thank you!****

Everything boiled down to a bargain. Her mere existence depended on her intention to follow through with her promise to Wrathia. And Ava should have seen it from the start—that this bargain struck, was a harbinger of the carnage and chaos waiting to claim their, and everyone's, future. What short, unfavorable future was left for the few that survived the termination of the masses.

War. That was Wrathia's design. Her curling, poisonous web of vengeance required death to all that stood between her and Titan. In sum, that required complete and utter devastation. Glitz and glam and everything coated in a thick layer of crimson.

Perhaps Wrathia asked too much of little Ava. With no other body but Ava's to pilot, essentially, Ava would be the head of an army against the all-powerful Titan. Leading countless lives to their uncertain doom. This knowledge was not tangible yet left an unbearable weight on her shoulders.

When the time would come, and it will come, Ava did not know if she could uphold her half of the pact. She sat for uncounted hours to extinguish her doubt and find reason enough within herself to keep it. No matter the conclusion her internal battle wrought, her life—normal and full of chances, as she wished it, did not equal to Wrathia's demands. It was too small to balance the scales. Just as Ava was too small to be tasked with such a demand.

 _Fifteen years is enough, surely,_ Ava thought. Careful though, she treaded the winding roads of her mind. Wrathia waited for her there and thus, thoughts were a dangerous risk.

"H-Hey, y-you alright?" Odin materialized seemingly from nowhere.

Ava jumped slightly, turning as Odin sat himself tentatively on the ledge beside her. He swung his legs over the side of the cliff and landed with an audible whump.

"S-Sorry. Didn't m-mean to s-scare you."

"It's fine," Ava said quietly, "I was just thinking."

"You've b-been d-doing that a lot l-lately," Odin absentmindedly commented, staring at the infinite cosmos above them. It must have been two in the morning. "You a-also h-haven't slept v-very w-well either…"

Odin was hinting at something and Ava knew it. He wasn't exactly being subtle. She just couldn't tell him the truth. The truth: Ava didn't sleep as much as the others because of Wrathia. Sleep meant a traversable bridge to where Wrathia lurked inside and Ava did everything she could to make their probable meeting from becoming an actuality. She refused to sleep. She refused to visit Wrathia and risk her sniffing out the truth of her host's wavering loyalty to her cause. It was a game of cat and mouse, beneath her very skin. Of course the truth had to stay hidden—it was insane! Demons and pacts and the unknown result of a broken pact—Who would ever believe they were in question? Who would ever believe they were real?

"Do you have a problem with it?" Ava ensured her annoyance was the key indicator in her voice for him to shove off. He wouldn't understand anything. He couldn't. Ava was alone, and she was petrified.

"N-No," Odin leaned away as if she'd hit him instead, "You j-just don't y-yell at m-me as much anymore and I w-wanted t-to know if you w-were okay is all."

"Do you want me to yell at you? If you want somebody to yell at you, go find Maggie. I'm sure she would be more than happy to deliver."

Odin made a near scoffing sound. "Th-That's n-not what I m-meant."

"What did you mean then?!"

Odin took a deep breath. Perhaps it was his stutter that she found so loathsome and irritating and his talking only worsened her already sour mood. Or maybe Ava was just perpetually angry and she just chose to only release her unbridled rage upon him, the unlucky winner of an unlucky lottery. "Here w-we go," he muttered. Maybe he should have stayed in the shelter and let Ava to do her late-night simmer by herself.

Ava reconsidered her approach. It was like a slap in the face—her face, when she realized Odin was genuinely concerned for her well-being.

"Sorry," Ava said, making Odin glance up at her. "It's—It's kind of hard to say what's really been bothering me."

Odin shifted as if he were readying himself for a story, much like she used to do when she was younger. He said, "We h-haven't g-got anything b-better to d-do, b-being on the r-run and all."

Ava smiled, though it was sad and made it seem she was mourning something yet to come. Ava looked over her shoulder to watch at the darkened entrance to the landed spacecraft the four of them stole to escape capture. Covered in branches and dirt, it was indistinguishable from the rest of the forest if viewed from the sky. On the forest floor, it looked simply broken down beyond repair and uninhabited—which also served them well, because Maggie and Gil were fast asleep within.

"It's not something you would believe," Ava tried again to dissuade him. She looked to her feet dangling over the edge of the steepest cliff she'd ever laid eyes on.

Odin's expression went blank and blatantly sardonic. "You t-turned into a g-giant flaming monster and k-killed h-hundreds of p-people with an axe you p-pulled out of your chest. And the r-rest of us n-nearly died in an explosion y-you caused. T-Try me." Odin still wasn't sure how Maggie and Gil survived—they were both committedly vague about the subject.

"Okay, fine," Ava crossed her arms in her rebuttal. It was an action made to conceal the resurfacing fear and dread that happened after Wrathia released her hold on Ava's consciousness. It wasn't Ava who did those things—who killed those people without a second thought. But then, it also was. It was another reason why Ava was so terrified of this deal she had with Wrathia. Between the contract lines, Ava was signing over her mentality, her personality, her existence within her own body.

Ava kept on, "But what if I told you it wasn't me who did all those things?"

 _Oh, if you had been there. Everything was delightfully horrendous! I felt fantastic!_

Odin gave her a look of disbelief. It almost made her drop the topic.

Then, there was the danger of Wrathia overhearing her. Who knew what would happen if she knew Ava was about to spill her life story to some kid who had no business in the matter. She'd tear Ava apart.

Odin had a haunting suspicion on where Ava was heading.

And Ava wanted nothing more than to reach out. Ava asked carefully, letting out a shaky breath. "Does the name 'Wrathia' mean anything to you?"

 _Oh no._

Odin's blood ran cold. That name was a bullet to the sternum. His eyes went wide with recognition, and he nearly gave himself away.

 _Pedri._

Pedri knew a Wrathia. Pedri was in love with a Wrathia. Married to her. Could they be, by some small chance, or miracle, or horrible unfortunate coincidence, be the same Wrathia?

"No," Odin answered, leaving enough silence to keep her from detecting his lie, "I've never heard of that name before."

Ava nodded, turning to hide her face. She blinked away a tear, letting it silently streak down her cheek. "Be glad you haven't."

There was an unfinished air surrounding them. Silence. Both Ava and Odin thought it best to keep the quiet's presence between them.

Though after time, Ava broke it by moving to lay her head on Odin's shoulder. Just loud enough for him to hear, Ava said, "Thank you for sitting with me, Odin."

Odin grew even more terrified at her touch. Ava was now being affectionate towards him. She even thanked him.

"You're w-welcome," he returned stiffly, looking directly ahead of him. Then, registering she wasn't about to move, he allowed his rigidity to flow from him and his tense muscles to melt, wondering how Ava could find the comfortable spot on his shoulder. She fit there perfectly. And she was warm. Very warm. Like home.

Ava closed her eyes, content enough to sleep without worry. _No. Fifteen years is not enough._


End file.
